BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: THE BORN TO RUN OUTTAKES- A CHRISTMAS GIFT TO OUR SUPPORTERS FROM THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS, RICH BUCKLAND AND BILL MESNIK

DIG THIS WITH BILL MESNIK AND RICH BUCKLAND- THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS

1. THUNDER ROAD (THE WORK IN PROGRESS- ORIGINAL ACOUSTIC TAKE)
2. THE HEIST (FIRST TAKE OF THE WORK COMPLETED AS "MEETING ACROSS THE RIVER"
3. BORN TO RUN (ALTERNATIVE TAKE)
4. BACKSTREETS (ALTERNATIVE TAKE)
5. LOVERS IN THE COLD (DID NOT MAKE THE CUT FOR THE ALBUM)
6. A LOVE SO FINE (DID NOT MAKE THE CUT FOR THE ALBUM)
7. JUNGLELAND (REHEARSAL)

I was a possessive motherfucker when it came to The Boss (he wasn’t “The Boss” yet; he was just a skinny, scruffy Pub-Rocker Poet). I discovered him early on, when I bought Greetings From Asbury Park on a whim, and I was so proud because I was able to spread the Gospel of Bruce to Rich, in return for the revelations of Astral Weeks and Love’s Forever Changes, among many others.

I saw him at Max’s Kansas City, with Bob Marley opening; We trekked out to Roslyn to see him at My Father’s Place, with a crowd so small we were able to stand at his feet in front of the stage; We saw him introduce Born to Run at the Bottom Line, just before the megaton explosion of fame; and finally, the last time was at The Palladium when he had just made the covers of Time and Newsweek simultaneously - which he name checked in the song Rosalita, while the crowd screamed.

At that moment I knew the romance was over. I couldn’t bring myself to see him in a stadium. I still bought the records up until The River, but I mourned the loss of my private knowledge. The entire world would soon line up to anoint him.

Here is a treat for Springsteen fans from the Born to Run Outtakes archives. It’s fun to hear the Easter eggs hidden throughout these cuts as Bruce works out the arrangements that would eventually make it on to the final master. Enjoy!